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(The Daily Beast)   "I've... seldom seen a political takeover that was this sleazy, and yet this well-orchestrated"   (thedailybeast.com) divider line
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    More: Strange, Councillor, City council, Request for Comments, Municipality, Mayor, Mayor of New York City, Local government in the United States, The Council  
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4851 clicks; posted to Politics » on 23 Jan 2023 at 2:30 PM (8 weeks ago)   |   Favorite    |   share:  Share on Twitter share via Email Share on Facebook



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Private_Citizen [TotalFark] [OhFark]
2023-01-23 11:38:09 AM  
Fark user imageView Full Size

If he wasn't backed by rich right-wingers, he'd be a run of the mill incel/serial killer.
Seriously, that dude is a psychopath.
 
Tr0mBoNe [TotalFark]
2023-01-23 11:45:40 AM  
Sounds like normal small town BS.

and I have never seen a more punchable face that wasn't attached to a disgraced pharma executive.
 
EvilEgg [TotalFark] [OhFark]
2023-01-23 1:02:39 PM  
At least in my town, there are rules against holding this kind of election in a closed session.  And there needs to be public notice of elections for First Selectman.

That is not to say sleazy things don't go on, they do, but they are different ones.
 
hubiestubert [TotalFark] [OhFark]
2023-01-23 1:40:09 PM  
Looks like the developers found the best guy for the job, and he has a bright future as a grifter.
 
common sense is an oxymoron [TotalFark] [OhFark]
2023-01-23 1:48:17 PM  
A bold strategy to jump-start a small-town rich kid's political career. Let's see if it pays off for him.
 
Shostie [TotalFark]
2023-01-23 2:15:28 PM  
Larkin's improbable ascent to office can be traced back to August 2020, when the then-mayor of Goddard stepped down amid a fraud charge for counterfeiting tickets to the local zoo's "Zoobilee" charity fundraiser.

I take it I'm going to be saying "what the f*ck?" a lot while I read this article?
 
Shostie [TotalFark]
2023-01-23 2:18:10 PM  

Private_Citizen: [Fark user image image 850x478]
If he wasn't backed by rich right-wingers, he'd be a run of the mill incel/serial killer.
Seriously, that dude is a psychopath.


He literally looks like three third graders stacked on top of each other disguising themselves as a single adult.

static1.srcdn.comView Full Size
 
Shostie [TotalFark]
2023-01-23 2:20:28 PM  
However, the vote ended in a tie. So Zimmerman instead nominated Aubrey Collins, a radio host and residential solar panel salesman who goes by "Cowboy Rip." Collins' candidacy was approved, and he was sworn in.

Yeah. Guess so.
 
Karma Chameleon
2023-01-23 2:34:35 PM  
pyxis.nymag.comView Full Size
 
cocozilla
2023-01-23 2:34:56 PM  
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He looks like the kind of person who would have absolutely been on board with being a Nazi in the 1930s
 
austerity101
2023-01-23 2:36:09 PM  
Is it normal for a town's council to be able to remove and install mayors through a vote held exclusively on the council? Because that seems insane.
 
snowshovel
2023-01-23 2:38:08 PM  
austerity101: Is it normal for a town's council to be able to remove and install mayors through a vote held exclusively on the council? Because that seems insane.

How do you say I Hate Freedom without saying I hate Freedom.
 
SpecialSnowFlake
2023-01-23 2:38:19 PM  
That the guy who installed himself unelected Mayor in a veritable coups congratulated himself for ridding the town of 'unelected bureaucrats' is literally the most MAGAt thing ever.
 
Rapmaster2000 [TotalFark]
2023-01-23 2:38:44 PM  
True dreams of Wichita.
 
dylanthomas
2023-01-23 2:38:53 PM  
Fark user imageView Full Size


Reminds me of

Fark user imageView Full Size


And we all know he turned out OK, right?
 
Super_pope
2023-01-23 2:41:13 PM  

austerity101: Is it normal for a town's council to be able to remove and install mayors through a vote held exclusively on the council? Because that seems insane.


Elections are expensive, you can't just hold them all the time if someone quits or dies or moves or whatever, you also can't just hold snap elections any time you want, most state constitutions tell you when someone runs. The seat can't just stay unfilled for a year or whatever.

Most of these town positions are basically uncompensated, there need to be reasonable provisions to appoint replacements to a city council or mayor spot.  Presumably anyone elected and still holding office represents the people during voting for the city, so in the absence of a good reason to hold an election the public trust rests in the hands of the electeds.
 
MillionDollarMo
2023-01-23 2:41:35 PM  
Future POTUS right there.
 
Rapmaster2000 [TotalFark]
2023-01-23 2:42:00 PM  

dylanthomas: [Fark user image 850x477]

Reminds me of

[Fark user image 850x1183]

And we all know he turned out OK, right?


The Ricker!?
Fark user imageView Full Size
 
HotWingConspiracy
2023-01-23 2:43:34 PM  
Don't they have any armed meth heads looking for a fix?
 
ScrimBoy
2023-01-23 2:44:54 PM  
Fark user imageView Full Size
 
Subtonic
2023-01-23 2:47:01 PM  

Super_pope: austerity101: Is it normal for a town's council to be able to remove and install mayors through a vote held exclusively on the council? Because that seems insane.

Elections are expensive, you can't just hold them all the time if someone quits or dies or moves or whatever, you also can't just hold snap elections any time you want, most state constitutions tell you when someone runs. The seat can't just stay unfilled for a year or whatever.

Most of these town positions are basically uncompensated, there need to be reasonable provisions to appoint replacements to a city council or mayor spot.  Presumably anyone elected and still holding office represents the people during voting for the city, so in the absence of a good reason to hold an election the public trust rests in the hands of the electeds.


Yep. Pretty standard stuff. When our mayor won higher office as a state rep, council just held a quick vote on her pick as replacement. The new mayor is banned from half the bars in town. So... yeah. Luckily it's mostly a figurehead position. Think he gets like two grand a year.
 
cowsaregoodeating
2023-01-23 2:47:02 PM  
I can't imagine the police department in that town is big enough to stop a lynch mob.
 
blondambition [OhFark]
2023-01-23 2:49:13 PM  

cocozilla: [Fark user image 425x239]
He looks like the kind of person who would have absolutely been on board with being a Nazi in the 1930s


slackbastard.anarchobase.comView Full Size
 
Super Chronic
2023-01-23 2:53:52 PM  

Super_pope: austerity101: Is it normal for a town's council to be able to remove and install mayors through a vote held exclusively on the council? Because that seems insane.

Elections are expensive, you can't just hold them all the time if someone quits or dies or moves or whatever, you also can't just hold snap elections any time you want, most state constitutions tell you when someone runs. The seat can't just stay unfilled for a year or whatever.

Most of these town positions are basically uncompensated, there need to be reasonable provisions to appoint replacements to a city council or mayor spot.  Presumably anyone elected and still holding office represents the people during voting for the city, so in the absence of a good reason to hold an election the public trust rests in the hands of the electeds.


I still don't understand why he had to go through the machinations of electing one person, and having that person promptly resign and install him in office. This was obviously pre-planned.
 
BlazeTrailer
2023-01-23 2:57:05 PM  

hubiestubert: Looks like the developers found the best guy for the job, and he has a bright future as a grifter.


Let's hope his aspirations end at grifter
 
RaptorLC [BareFark]
2023-01-23 3:00:59 PM  

cocozilla: [Fark user image 425x239]
He looks like the kind of person who would have absolutely been on board with being a Nazi in the 1930s


He looks like he'd be on board with it in the 2020's as well.
 
fat_free [TotalFark]
2023-01-23 3:01:28 PM  
external-content.duckduckgo.comView Full Size
 
johnphantom
2023-01-23 3:01:44 PM  
So when are we going to break out the guillotines?
 
alitaki
2023-01-23 3:02:52 PM  
Isn't this the sort of thing the 2nd Amendment was created for?
 
Skarekrough
2023-01-23 3:04:55 PM  
There's a reason why you keep a small number of doughy and squishy political moderates around in town politics.

If you have a vacancy then it's better to put someone in there that's going to do very little have have little aspirations than put someone like the Young Fuhrer there in the highest town office.
 
mongbiohazard
2023-01-23 3:07:50 PM  
You elect clowns then you get clowns in office. Stop voting for Republicans. It won't solve the problem 100%, but it will solve it 98%.
 
WithinReason
2023-01-23 3:10:20 PM  

Shostie: Larkin's improbable ascent to office can be traced back to August 2020, when the then-mayor of Goddard stepped down amid a fraud charge for counterfeiting tickets to the local zoo's "Zoobilee" charity fundraiser.

I take it I'm going to be saying "what the f*ck?" a lot while I read this article?


You read the articles?
 
Fairmont
2023-01-23 3:10:22 PM  
Super Chronic:
I still don't understand why he had to go through the machinations of electing one person, and having that person promptly resign and install him in office. This was obviously pre-planned.

I imagine a new mayor can be appointed through a full vote of the city council, or by the sitting mayor. He knew he didn't have the council votes to get elected by option 1, so he installs a ringer to use option 2 to nominate him.

As to why a city council can arbitrarily install and remove mayors like this... the elected mayor resigned due to scandal. Most cities have procedures to sit an incumbent mayor until a new election can be held so day-to-day business can proceed, and I imagine it would be similar to this. They probably do not have the power to remove an elected mayor, but the elected mayor had resigned.
 
Someone Else's Alt [TotalFark]
2023-01-23 3:11:55 PM  

cocozilla: [Fark user image 425x239]
He looks like the kind of person who would have absolutely been on board with being a Nazi in the 1930s


I think some investigative reporters should start interviewing young woman and girls in the Goddard area.
 
Elliot8654
2023-01-23 3:13:07 PM  

snowshovel: austerity101: Is it normal for a town's council to be able to remove and install mayors through a vote held exclusively on the council? Because that seems insane.

How do you say I Hate Freedom without saying I hate Freedom.


With "my name is snowshovel and watch me post on fark"
 
Wessoman
2023-01-23 3:13:11 PM  
Fark user imageView Full Size


Shouldn't this guy be posing in front of a chicken gelatin salad in a 1950's cookbook?
 
Bigdogdaddy
2023-01-23 3:13:45 PM  
Everyone involved in closed sessions that weren't involving city personnel matters probably were probably breaking state law.
 
Exile On Beale Street [TotalFark] [OhFark]
2023-01-23 3:14:05 PM  
Do you like Whitney Houston?
 
Bigdogdaddy
2023-01-23 3:15:53 PM  

Bigdogdaddy: Everyone involved in closed sessions that weren't involving city personnel matters probably were probably breaking state law.


Kansas sunshine law

Law
 
NM Volunteer [TotalFark]
2023-01-23 3:18:06 PM  

Fairmont: Super Chronic:
I still don't understand why he had to go through the machinations of electing one person, and having that person promptly resign and install him in office. This was obviously pre-planned.

I imagine a new mayor can be appointed through a full vote of the city council, or by the sitting mayor. He knew he didn't have the council votes to get elected by option 1, so he installs a ringer to use option 2 to nominate him.

As to why a city council can arbitrarily install and remove mayors like this... the elected mayor resigned due to scandal. Most cities have procedures to sit an incumbent mayor until a new election can be held so day-to-day business can proceed, and I imagine it would be similar to this. They probably do not have the power to remove an elected mayor, but the elected mayor had resigned.


The way I've seen it, the mayor pro-tem (chair of the city council) takes over as acting mayor until the next round of municipal elections.  The mayor pro-tem stepping aside like that seems very irregular, and possibly illegal.
 
NM Volunteer [TotalFark]
2023-01-23 3:19:06 PM  
Also, why did they use his 8th grade yearbook photograph in TFA?
 
BlakCat
2023-01-23 3:19:21 PM  
thenation.comView Full Size
 
sirrerun
2023-01-23 3:22:04 PM  
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But with none of the charm
 
FnkyTwn
2023-01-23 3:23:06 PM  
"Before the council session concluded, [Hunter] Larkin remarked, "Today was a tough day. I know. Wasn't fun, I don't think anybody here enjoyed it. But I want you all to know it was done out of love."

Jesus what a psychopath. Kansas might soon have a new governor.
 
gameshowhost [OhFark]
2023-01-23 3:26:52 PM  
it's like someone typed 'kid with punchable face' into dall-e
 
WillJM8528
2023-01-23 3:27:41 PM  
    In the last year there have been TONS of stories where I am completely shocked that there is no mechanism to stop the bullshiat. One example is the woman in Philly who was in jail for a week even AFTER they discovered that she was the wrong person. Like, how was she not released that same day? More on topic, how is it that people know this is bullshiat and his is still mayor?
 
austerity101
2023-01-23 3:28:33 PM  

Super_pope: austerity101: Is it normal for a town's council to be able to remove and install mayors through a vote held exclusively on the council? Because that seems insane.

Elections are expensive, you can't just hold them all the time if someone quits or dies or moves or whatever, you also can't just hold snap elections any time you want, most state constitutions tell you when someone runs. The seat can't just stay unfilled for a year or whatever.

Most of these town positions are basically uncompensated, there need to be reasonable provisions to appoint replacements to a city council or mayor spot.  Presumably anyone elected and still holding office represents the people during voting for the city, so in the absence of a good reason to hold an election the public trust rests in the hands of the electeds.


And then coups happen. So I'm coming down on the side of "this is not a system that works."

Who was next in line after the woman who stepped into that role (and then stepped out of it)?

And if elections are expensive ... too bad? We shouldn't be allowing coups because stopping them costs too much money.
 
DrD'isInfotainment [OhFark]
2023-01-23 3:29:31 PM  
Never ever trust a 22 yr old Republican.
 
Tyrone Slothrop
2023-01-23 3:31:04 PM  
Always remember, just because something is legal doesn't mean it's right or good. Just ask 1930s Germany.
 
patrick767
2023-01-23 3:31:06 PM  
Larkin's improbable ascent to office can be traced back to August 2020, when the then-mayor of Goddard stepped down amid a fraud charge for counterfeiting tickets to the local zoo's "Zoobilee" charity fundraiser.

lol... who the fark goes to the trouble of counterfeiting tickets to the local "Zoobilee"?

Super_pope: Elections are expensive, you can't just hold them all the time if someone quits or dies or moves or whatever, you also can't just hold snap elections any time you want, most state constitutions tell you when someone runs. The seat can't just stay unfilled for a year or whatever.

Most of these town positions are basically uncompensated, there need to be reasonable provisions to appoint replacements to a city council or mayor spot.  Presumably anyone elected and still holding office represents the people during voting for the city, so in the absence of a good reason to hold an election the public trust rests in the hands of the electeds.


Being able to fill vacant positions without holding an election isn't the same as being able to remove someone from office just because the city council feels like it.
 
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